Horizontal bar and spring-biassed exercising apparatus



HORIZONTAL BAR AND SPRING-BIASSED EXERCISING APPARATUS Filedlfiay 27, 1964 5.. G. TRENT July 29, 1969 2 sheets sheet l O U MW 2 L ,6 mm 0, (.\\\\O H. m s

mu Y W a l llliil: fiamqu M52225 '5. G. TRENT HORIZONTAL BAR AND sP'RING-m'AssEn RXERCISING APPARATUS Filed May 27, 1,964

July 29, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Stanley (7. Trent attorney United States Patent 3,457,786 HORIZONTAL BAR AND SPRING-BIASSED EXERCISING APPARATUS Stanley G. Trent, 334 E. Park Ave, Barberton, Ohio 44203 Filed May 27, 1964, Ser. No. 370,527 Int. Cl. G011 /06; A63b 21/02 U.S. Cl. 73-380 8 Claims This invention relates to exercising apparatus, and in particular relates to apparatus for isometric exercising.

Heretofore, apparatus has been provided for isometric exercising, generally in the form of a telescopic cross-bar having screw-adjustment means for extending the bar toward frictional gripping engagement of caps or suction cups, on opposite ends of the bar, with inner faces of opposing door posts, or of stop strips on the same. Isometric exercises were performed as by pressing directly against the fixed bar in various directions with both hands, and thereby applying concentrated muscular pressure to the bar at various levels, according to whether the exerciser was standing upright, sitting, or otherwise disposed with reference to the floor. Usually each of various exercises required only a small period of time, such as about ten seconds, and adjustment of the cross-bar height was slow and cumbersome by comparison. Moreover, the concentrated muscular efiort necessarily applied to the bar frequently released the frictional grip of the end caps or suction cups from the engaged portions of the door posts, with a possibility of resultant injury. More importantly, however, in the practice of isometric exercising by muscular pressure, applied directly to a bar, there was no reliable way in which the exerciser could determine, measure or even estimate gains in muscular development.

One object of the present invention is to provide a device for practicing all types of isometric exercising, including an improved tensioning unit by which the exerciser can, at any time while exercising, discern if he is gaining in muscular strength or power.

Another object of the invention is to provide an isometric exercising bar for the purposes described, including improved means for positively aflixing the bar at selectively adjusted heights, and thereby to eliminate any danger of the bar being accidentally released from supporting engagement between fixed supporting uprights.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved isometric exercising bar which is adjustable to various selected heights with use of a minimum of time and efiort.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tensioning unit of the character described, including interchangeable means for readily adapting the same to suit persons in different classes of maturity, or ranges of muscular capacity.

These and other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation illustrating an improved exercising bar mounted between spaced door posts, and having incorporated thereon the tensioning unit of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged elevation of the exercising bar as viewed in FIGURE 1, but partly broken away and in section and with the tensioning unit omitted.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary front view of a left hand door stop of FIGURE 1. adapted to be utilized as a supporting strip for the exercising bar of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of the door stop as viewed from the right of FIGURE 3, and on the same scale.

3,457,786 Patented July 29, 1969 ice FIGURE 5 is a front elevation of the tensioning unit mounted on the exercising bar in the manner shown in FIGURE 1, and on the same scale as FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a cross-section taken substantially on the line 66 of FIGURE 5, on the same scale, and by means of chain-dotted lines showing the separable parts of the tensioning unit opened up as for removal of the unit from the exercising bar.

FIGURE 7, is an enlarged cross-section taken substantially on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged cross-section, on the same scale, taken substantially on the line 8-8 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary front view corresponding in part to FIGURE 1, and illustrating a modified use of the exercising bar with two tensioning units mounted thereon in a manner adapted for cross-arm, isometric exercising.

Referring first to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is illustrated an isometric exercising bar 10 including a central tubular gripping section 11, opposite ends of which are telescopically received in tubular end sections 12 and 13. Afiixed in the outer ends of the end sections 12 and 13 are plugs 14, 14 having axially outwardly extending protuberances or pins 15, 15 for supporting reception within aligned apertures 16, 16 of side strips or stops 17, 17 in a door frame F (see FIGURE 2). For adjusting the height of the bar 10 the strips 17 may have vertically spaced series of horizontally aligned apertures 16, as best shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. For shipping and storing the strips 17 as an adjunct of the exercising bar, the strips of each side may be furnished in complementally jointed sections as shown at 18 in FIGURES 3 and 4. The strips are suitably apertured as indicated at 19 for attaching the strips in a door frame, as by means of flush-headed screws.

Referring again to FIGURE 2, the plug 14 of end tube 12 may have afiixed thereon an inwardly extending screw stem 22 which is threaded through a nut 23 affixed in the left end of tube section 11. A lost-motion plug 24 is slidably mounted with end tube 13, intermeditae the fixed plug 14 and a nut 25 affixed in the corresponding end of tube 11, and has a screw-stem 26 afiixed thereon for threaded reception through said nut 25. Plug 24 and stem 26 thereon are held against rotation with respect to end tube 13 by means of diametrically opposite pins 27, 27 on plug 24, received within longitudinally extending slots 28, 28 in the wall of the tube 13. The arrangement is such that the effective length of the bar unit 10 may be adjusted by initial screw adjustment of one or both of the end tubes 12 and 13 thereon, until the left hand pin 15 is fully received within an aperture 16 of left hand strip 17, and the end of the right hand pin 15 can be freely positioned inwardly of the corresponding strip 17, in alignment with the mating aligned aperture 16. At this point the pins 27 on plug 24 are located intermediate the ends of the Slots 28, so that the end tube 13 may be quickly moved to the right with respect to tube 11, toward full reception of corresponding pin 15 in its aperture 16, and engagement of pins 27 with the outer ends of the lost-motion slots 28. Accordingly, the end tube 13 may now be turned to operate stem 26 in nut 25, in requisite direction forcibly to eX- tend the bar unit 10 until the outer ends of sections 12 and 13 are clamped against the backing of the opposing strips 17. Suitable friction caps or suction cups 29, 29 may be provided between the outer ends of the tubes 12 and 13 and the respective stop strips 17, to accomplish a stronger grip in addition to the positive pin-engaging support on strips 17. The strip engaging portions of caps 29 are preferably of rubber or like plastic mtaerial to prevent damage to the door strips.

The bar 10, supported, as shown in FIGURE .2, at various heights in the door frame F (see FIGURE 1), may be utilized for isometric exercising by variously engaging the relatively fixed center tube 11 with the palms of both hands and applying strong muscular pressure to maximum ability of the exerciser, in known manner according to the exercise being practiced. With this particular use of the bar 10, however, it is not possible for the exerciser to ascertain how much progress, if any, he is making in muscular development. It is one of the objects of this invention to provide means by which such progress in muscular development may be visibly ascertained at any time. This deficiency may be overcome by provision of a tensioning unit 31 as an adjunct to the bar 10, in the manner illustrated in FIGURES l and to 8.

As best shown in FIGURES 5 to 8, the tensioning unit 31 may include an elongated sectional frame 30 having an upper loop-shaped anchoring part 32 hinged at one side of the frame, as indicated at 33, to a lower springhousing part 34, so that the anchoring part may be swung to the hinge side, as indicated in chain-dotted lines in FIGURE 6, for purposes to be described later. As shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, the upper housing part 32 may have atfixed thereon a solid member 35 of rigid plastic, metal, or the like. A slide block or member 36, of similar material to the block 35, is slidably mounted in the anchoring part to be yieldingly urged toward mating relation with the lower end of block 35 by a strong compression spring 37 which is engaged between slide 36 and a lower end wall 38 of housing part 36. The two housing parts may be releasably locked together by suitable means, such as a headed pin 39 received through an aperture 40 in an upward extension 41 of the housing part 34, at the opposite side from hinge 33, and threaded into the block 35 (see FIGURES 6 and 7). In this locked condition the tubular bar 11 is strongly gripped within mating semicylindrical seats 42 and 43 in the opposing inner ends of blocks 35 and 36, respectively.

Two means are provided for a positive limit of springpressed upward movement of slide block 36, one being seating engagement of the block 36 with supporting bar 11, and the other being in engagement of the underside of wall 38 by an eyelet 44a of a stem 44 slidably received through said wall, and extending freely through spring 37 to adjustable threaded supporting connection in the block 36.

An elongated tubular hand-grip 45 is tightly received through an opening 46 in the upper end of relatively fixed block 35, to present hand-grip portions 45a and 45b at opposite sides of the unit 31, in spaced parallelism to the fixed supporting bar 11. Thus, by application of upward pressure on the undersides of hand grip portions 45a and 45b, certain well-known isometric exercises may be practiced. Generally speaking, the requisite muscular effort required for this purpose will be sufficient to move the unit 31, including member 35, upwardly with respect to the slide member 36 a relatively small distance, if any, as resisted by the very strong spring 37. Any such relative movement, however small, of the unit 31 with respect to the slide block will be evidenced by corresponding movement of slide bars 48, 48 mounted in friction gripped relation on side walls 49, 49 of spring-housing 30. Accordingly, the friction gripped bars 48 will remain in their indicating positions, as shown in chain-dotted lines in FIGURE 6, after the slide member 36 has been allowed to move back to the normal stop position thereof.

The apparatus of FIGURES 1, and 5 to 8 may be utilized for certain one-hand isometric exercises, by appli cation of a hooked part 51 of a loop or stirrup type of hand grin 52, to the eyelet 44a of stem 44, as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6.

In use of the apparatus of FIGURES l to 8 for various isometric exercises, the extensible bar unit is mounted affixed between the door posts of a door frame F as shown in full lines in FIGURE 1, and the tension unit 31 is locked in clamped relation to the bar section 11 as previously described, and as best shown in full lines in FIGURES 1, 5 and 6. With the bar unit 10 adjusted to a height approximating that shown in full lines in FIGURE 1, for example, the undersides of hand-grip portions 45a and 45b may be engaged and pressed upwardly by the palms of the hands for a so-called arm-curl. Muscular pressure on the hand grip portions is maintained for about 10 seconds. Various other isometric exercises are likewise accomplished with the bar unit 10 at various heights, and the tension unit at various angles of pivotal movement about the fixed bar section 11.

Other simulated bar-bell exercises such as overhead presses, knee bends, leg presses, shoulder shrugs, upright pull-ups, and the like may be practiced with simple ad justments of the apparatus. In any event, the effect of the application of concentrated muscular effort on the fixed bar section 11 is essentially the same as isometric exercising applied directly to a fixed bar, such as is shown in FIGURE 2. In the present invention, however, the isometric pressure is transmitted to the relatively movable spring-pressed member 36, which according to predetermined strong resistance of spring 33, may be momentarily relatively moved only a small fraction of an inch to a static condition within the unit 31. Corresponding movement of the slide elements 48, as shown in chain-dotted lines in FIGURE 6, will indicate on a scale S on the frame walls 49, the amount of effort expended in terms of the equivalent of total pounds weight lifted at the instant the slide member 36 reaches a static condition. Different columns on scale S are adapted for reference by individuals in different classes of muscular ability, such as males and females, or persons in different age or size categories. For this purpose, interchangeable springs 36 of predeterminately varying strengths may be provided to suit individuals in the aforesaid different classes.

For shoulder and back strengthening exercises two tension units 31, may be utilized in the manner shown in FIGURE 9, with the fixed bar 10 approximately at shoulder height. That is, the two units are opened by removal of locking pins 39 to allow the main anchoring parts 32 to be swung to one side, as shown in chain-dotted lines in FIGURE 6, and to permit the two spring-housing parts 34 to be anchored to opposite ends of the fixed bar unit 10 (see FIGURE 9). This is done by removing eyelet screws 14a, 14a from the end plugs 14, 14 and reinserting the same, through the apertures 40 in the locking extensions 41. Chest exercises are accomplished, for example, by pressing outwardly with the hands on hand-grips 52, 52 which are hooked on outer ends of crossed cords 53, 53 and which have the outer ends thereof anchored to the stem eyelets 44a of the respective tension units 31, 31. For other known types of exercises the hand-grips 52 may be hooked directly onto the stem eyelets 44a.

Other modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination a relatively fixed bar, an isometric exercising device for use with said relatively fixed bar comprising: a rigid frame having longitudinally aligned fixedly connected anchoring and spring-housing parts, said anchoring part having a stop portion inter-mediate longitudinally opposite ends of the frame; a member longitudinally shifta-bly mounted on said spring-housing part to be movable toward and from said stop portion; compression spring means mounted in said spring-housing part yieldingly to urge said member toward said stop portion; said stop portion and said member having opposed seat means therein for yielding reception of the relatively fixed bar therebetween to retain said rigid frame in static engagement with said bar according to given isometric power of said spring means; and at least one inextensible hand grip means on said rigid frame, for applying muscular force to the frame through the fixed bar to separate said member from said anchoring part to a relatively slight extent when said given isometric power is exceeded; whereby any appreciable measure of movement of said member against said spring caused by application of said muscular force serves isometrically to indicate progress in muscular development by use of the device.

2. A device as in claim 1, including a rigid element connected to said member to move said relatively slight extent therewith, and extending through said spring, said rigid element for this purpose being shiftably received through one end of said frame and having attaching means thereon outwardly of the spring-housing for attachment of a said gripping means thereto.

3. A device as in claim 1, wherein said anchoring and spring-housing parts are separable for passage of the fixed bar to and from said opposed seat means, and locking means is provided for releasably locking said parts rigidly together.

4. A device as in claim 1, in combination with laterally spaced vertical supports having horizontally aligned, laterally opposed apertures therein, said fixed structure including an extensible said bar provided with end protuberances and screw-action means for adjusting the bar to- Ward and from supporting reception of said protuberances in said aligned apertures.

5. A device as in claim 1, wherein the fixed bar has telescopic parts provided with opposite end protuberances; screw-action means for extending and retracting said telescopic parts; and laterally spaced supports having aligned apertures; said screw-action means including a lost-motion connection between telescopic parts permitting rapid manual extension of the bar for correspondingly rapid reception of the protuberances in said aligned apertures before screw-action extension of the bar is made effective to clamp the opposite ends of the bar against the backing of said spaced supports.

6. In apparatus of the character described for use in a door frame having laterally opposed door posts, comprising a pair of elongated strip portions of rigid materials; and having series of longitudinally spaced apertures therein; means for securing said strip portions on the opposed door post to have the apertures thereof in vertical series of horizontally aligned pairs of the same; and an extensible bar having telescopically connected parts and opposite end protuberances; said telescopically connected parts including lost-motion, screw-action means for limited longitudinal adjustment of said bar coupled with screw adjustment of the connected parts toward and from supporting reception of the end protuberances in said pair of opposed but aligned apertures, to support the bar between the strips.

7. Apparatus as in claim 6, said lost-motion, screwaction means including a plug nonrotatably but slidably mounted in one of said telescopically connected parts for limited axial movement therein and a screw stern afiixed to said plug and connected with the other end of said telescopically connected part, whereby the telescopically connected parts are extensible to the extent of said limited axial movement for further extension by screw action upon relative rotation of said telescopic parts.

8. A device as in claim 1, wherein isometric power indexing means is provided on said spring-housing part operable by any movement of said member with respect to said stop means for indicating use of muscular eifort in excess of given isometric power.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,037,846 9/1912 Anderson 21 1105.3 2,919,134 12/1959 Zuro 27262 X 3,074,740 1/ 1963 Zastrow 28758 3,218,068 11/1965 Warman 211123 FOREIGN PATENTS 465,908 9/1928 Germany.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner US. 01. X.R. 272-42, as 

1. IN COMBINATION A RELATIVELY FIXED BAR, AN ISOMETRIC EXERCISING DEVICE FOR USE WITH SAID RELATIVELY FIXED BAR COMPRISING: A RIGID FRAME HAVING LONGITUDINALLY ALIGNED FIXEDLY CONNECTED ANCHORING AND SPRING-HOUSING PARTS, SAID ANCHORING PART HAVING A STOP PORTION INTERMEDIATE LONGITUDINALLY OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE FRAME; A MEMBER LONGITUDINALLY SHIFTABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SPRING-HOUSING PART TO BE MOVABLE TOWARD AND FROM SAID STOP PORTION; COMPRESSION SPRING MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID SPRING-HOUSING PART YIELDINGLY TO URGE SAID MEMBER TOWARD SAID STOP PORTION; SAID STOP PORTION AND SAID MEMBER HAVING OPPOSED SEAT MEANS THEREIN FOR YIELDING RECEPTION OF THE RELATIVELY FIXED BAR THEREBETWEEN TO RETAIN SAID RIGID FRAME IN STATIC ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BAR ACCORDING TO GIVEN ISOMETRIC POWER OF SAID SPRING MEANS; AND AT LEAST ONE INEXTENSIBLE HAND GRIP MEANS ON SAID RIGID FRAME, FOR APPLYING MUSCULAR FORCE TO THE FRAME THROUGH THE FIXED BAR TO SEPARATE SAID MEMBER FROM SAID ANCHORING PART TO A RELATIVELY LIGHT EXTENT WHEN SAID GIVEN ISOMETRIC POWER IS EXCEEDED; WHEREBY ANY APPRECIABLE MEASURE OF MOVEMENT OF SAID MEMBER AGAINST SAID SPRING CAUSED BY APPLICATION OF SAID MUSCULAR FORCE SERVES ISOMETRICALLY TO INDICATE PROGRESS IN MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT BY USE OF THE DEVICE. 6.IN APPARATUS OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED FOR USE IN A DOOR FRAME HAVING LATERALLY OPPOSED DOOR POSTS, COMPRISING A PAIR OF ELONGATED STRIP PORTIONS OF RIGID MATERIALS; AND HAVING SERIES OF LONGITUDINALLY SPCED APERTURES THEREIN; MEANS FOR SECURING SAID STRIP PORTIONS ON THE OPPOSED DOOR POST TO HAVE THE APERTURES THEREOF IN VERTICAL SERIES OF HORIZONTALLY ALIGNED PAIRS OF THE SAME; AND AN EXTENSIBLE BAR HAVING TELESCOPICALLY CONNECTED PARTS AND OPPOSITE END PROTUBERANCES; SAID TELESCOPICALLY CONNECTED PARTS INCLUDING LOST-MOTION, SCREW-ACTION MEANS FOR LIMITED LONGITUDINAL ADJUSTMENT OF SAID BAR COUPLED WITH SCREW ADJUSTMENT OF THE CONNECTED PARTS TOWARD AND FROM SUPPORTING RECEPTION OF THE END PROTUBERANCES IN SAID PAIR OF OPPOSED BUT ALIGNED APERTURES, TO SUPPORT THE BAR BETWEEN THE STRIPS. 